Ors of one-fifth to charles n



(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1. N. RATGHFORD & L. D. EVANS.

RAILWAY FROG.

No. 433,148. Patented July 29, 1890.

WITNESSES:

By LewiYlEuuns.

n: uunms PETERS 0a., wow-mum, WASHINGTUN- n. c

(No Model.) 2 Sheefs-Sheet 2. N. RATOHPORD & L. D. EVAN$. RAILWAY FROG.

No; 438,148. Patented July 29, 1890.

WITNESSES! m VENTOI? ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NICHOLAS RATCHFORD AND LEVIS D. EVANS, OF PLAIN CITY, OHIO, ASSIGN- ORS OF ONE-FIFTH TO CHARLES N. BOYD, OF SAME PLACE.

RAI LWAY-FROG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 433,148, dated July 29, 1890.

Application filed April 18, 1890. Serial No. 348,492. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, NICHOLAS BATCH FORD and LEwIs I). EVANS, citizens of the United States, residing at Plain City, in the 5 county of Madison and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in RailwayFrogs, of which the fl1owing is a specification.

Our invention relates to the improvement '0 of that class of railway-frogs in which the continuity of the rails of the main track is preserved at the frog-point and a shifting frog-rail pivoted at one side of the main track is adapted to be made to cross the main-track rail and meet the side-track rail.

The objects of our invention are to obviate the necessity of using a block of such length as to support the shifting frog-rail throughout its length and to obviate the necessity of us- :0 ing a supporting-block of the same height as the tread of the main rail, to provide adjacent to the outer side-track rail an improved form of operating-rail, and otherwise simplify the construction of the parts. These objects 2 5 we accomplish in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of the main and side track rails of a railway, showing the position of our shifting rail when not in ;0 use and in dotted lines the position of said rail when in use. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 0c of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view taken on line y y of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line ,2 .e' of Fig. 1.

3 5 Similarlettersrefer to similar parts through out the several views.

(t represents the main-track rails, and b b, respectively, the inner and outer side track rails. As shown in the drawings, and as is to common in this class of invention, the inner side-track rail 1) is broken or divided to admit of the main-track rail passing between its two sections. Supported upon the ties ad jacent to the outer side of the inner main ,5 track rail is a short fixed block 0 of a height less than the height of the tread of the main rail. This block 0 is provided in its upper side with a circular seat or socket, as shown.

d represents a shifting frog-rail, which is designed, as heretofore described, to form a continuation of the inner side-track rail by filling the space between its two sections.

As shown in the drawings, this shifting frograil is thickened on its under side at its heel or rear end portion and has formed with said thickened portion a disk-shaped pivot-plate (1. This bearing or pivot plate (1 bears and is pivotally supported within the socket or seat previously mentioned as having been formed in the block or plate 0. A pivot-bolt h connects the pivot-plate d and block 0, as shown.

The rear end of the rail (1 is in close proximity to the broken end of the side-track rail 1), which is on the corresponding side of the main-track rail, and said shifting or frog rail is normally supported in a position parallel with the main-track rail, as hereinafter described. That section of the side-track rail which is within the main-track rails has its end portion bent for a short distance from a point f in the direction of the main-track rail, said bent portion being designed to operate as a guard-rail.

Fixed upon one of the ties beneath the outer and beveled end or point of the frog-rail (l is a guard-block which is adapted to perform the double office of supporting the point of the frog-rail and guarding the latter from displacement or injury which may result from contact therewith of any depending or dragging part of a moving train. This latter result is attained by forming on said block in front of frog-rail point an upwardly-projecting lug or shoulder, the outer side of which is bevcled, as shown.

The thickened rear portion of the shifting rail d, heretofore mentioned, is of such height as to admit of the forward portion and main body of the shifting rail being pressed over and across the main-track rail, where, as shown in the drawings, its beveled outer end meets the side-track rail at the point f and forms a continuation thereof. In this movement of the swinging rail the rear end of the 9 5 latter isbroughtinto alignment with the outer section Z) of the inner side-track rail. The rails b b as they approach the main-track rail are gradually elevated by inclined blocks 1) until their upper sides or treads are of the height of the upper side of the shifting rail. The outer side-track rail 1) is also elevated by blocks 12 to conform to the elevation of the rails b and the shifting rail (1.

71 represents an operating-rail, which is provided with a grooved or channeled upper side, and which is formed of two hinged or jointed sections, as shown at k. This sectional operating-rail is supported adjacent to and on the inner side of the outer side-track rail b by having its outer ends pivotally secured to the body of said side-track rail.

We preferably form the blocks b which elevate the outer side-track rail, with upwardly-projecting guide-lugs from the inner ends thereof, which form lateral bearings for the inner side of the operating-rail.

While the construction of the operatingrail differs from that shown in our former application, Serial No.- 321,128, for an improvement in railway-frogs, the means for conveying motion therefrom to the shifting frog-rail are substantially the same as that shown in said former application, and are as follows: The operating-rail, with the exception of its pivoted ends, normally projects above the tread of the side-track rail, in which position it is supported by the upturned upper end of a bell-crank lever 7, which is pivotally supported within a central slottof a supporting-plate m, which is made to connect two ties at points beneath the side-track rail and operating-rail. The lower end of the bell-crank j is, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, pivotally connected with a horizontal bar or rod n,which extends approximately in the direction of and between two of the ties beneath the plate m.

The outwardly-extending portions of the rodnpass loosely through an opening formed in a downwardly-projecting lug m on the outer edge of the plate 'm and has fixed on its outer end a nut 01' head 92. Bearing between the lug m and rod-head or nut '21, and surrounding the rod is a coiled spring 10. The inner end of the rod 'n is connected with the outer side of the shifting rail d, substantially as shown in our said former application.

The operation of our device is as follows:

In case a car or train of cars passes upon the side track, the flange of the outer side carwheels will travel upon and into the channel of the operating-rail 2'. The weight thus imparted to said operating-rail will, through its contact with the upturned end of the bellsaid former application.

.of the coiled spring 19. This inward movement of the rod or will operate to force the free end of the shifting rail across the main track until it meets the side-track rail, as

shown in the dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings. IVhen the operating-rail is re lieved from the weight of the cars, the tension of the spring 19 will result in the withdrawal, through the rod n, of the shifting rail 1 d to its normal position.

From the construction herein shown and described it will be seen that the shifting frog-rail will be supported in position for crossing the main track Without the necessity of having the supporting-block at the height of the tread of the main rail and. without the necessity of using a supporting-block of the length of the shifting rail, as shown in our It will also be ob served that the grooved or channeled operat- 1 ing-rail will serve as a guide for the flange of the car-wheels and obviate the necessity of using in connectionwith the said side-track rail a guard-rail.

j v If desired, we may provide the heel of our shifting rail with a spring-actuated pivot, as

claimed in said former-application.

Having now. fully described our invention,

what We claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a railway-frog, the combination,.wit11 the main and side track rails, the latter elevated as described, a short fixed block 0 of a height less than the height otthe tread of the maintrack rail and supported adjacent to thelatter, and a shifting frogwrail pivotally supported upon said block 0, of the sectional and channeled operating-rail 2, supported, as described, adjacent to theouter side rail, its

I pivoted bell-crank-support j and spring-actuated rod 02 connecting with the shifting rail, substantially as described.

NICHOLAS RATCHFORD. LEWIS D. EVANS.

In presence of- CHAS. XV. HORN, HOWARD 0. BLACK. 

